A place to show off what I've been working on. I'm hoping there aren't too many times I have to stop to think, do I want anyone to know that's how my project turned out?
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Monday, June 7, 2010

Like tightening a corset or something

Today's picture is of the shirt I was sewing up. I have almost all of the threads pulled up tight. Once I get them all pulled and tied off it'll be ready for dyeing. Then it'll look a lot like the orange one in my first post. You can see the ripples and folds the sewing makes. You don't want the rows too consistent or you'll get something more like pleats. Depending on how far apart the rows are, how far between stitches, if you go straight or wavy, etc., change the result.

Shibori was frequently dyed using indigo. While it take a bit of work to get a vat going, it doesn't need a mordant like most other natural dyes. The problem with most natural dyes is that the mordant can be quite toxic. A mordant is something that makes the dye react with the fiber and permanently bond to it. Think of bread. Without water, the yeast won't 'eat' the flour and create carbon dioxide and cause you bread to rise.

And an indigo vat can be like sourdough starter. It takes some care and feeding to get it set up and maintain it. But then it isn't so bad. But my setup doesn't work well to use an indigo vat. Also, I like to use a lot of different colors. Although I do prefer a nice blue that is close to indigo blue.